Throne in Heaven

^{Today I would like to discuss Revelation chapter 4. This chapter begins the next section of Revelation, and continues on until chapter 16. In the preceding chapters John had visions of the time of the church age, from Pentecost through the end of the church age culminating in the rapture of the church.  Now that the church has been removed from the earth the judgments of God against the earth can begin. This chapter begins with John being told to come up to heaven so he may see what will happen.}


Revelation 4


¹ After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” ² At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. ³ And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. ⁴ Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. ⁵ From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits^[a] of God. ⁶ Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
   In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. ⁷ The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. ⁸ Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
   “‘Holy, holy, holy
   is the Lord God Almighty,’^[b]
   who was, and is, and is to come.”
 ⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
 ¹¹ “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
   to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
   and by your will they were created
   and have their being.”


When John looks around heaven the first thing he sees is a throne. He sees a being sitting on the throne that he can only describe as having the appearance of jewels with a rainbow surrounding the throne. Now the first time the rainbow is mentioned in the Bible, it is to remind us of God's promise to never destroy the earth again with a flood.
 ¹² And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. ¹⁶ Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”Genesis 9:12-16 This rainbow around the throne may be a reminder that God has not forgotten His covenant with us. John was trying to describe something that was indescribable. Around this throne were twenty-four other thrones with twenty-four elders sitting on them. It is not clear who these elders are, some people think they may represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles.
 ⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split ⁵² and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and^[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people. Matthew 27:51-53
This may be another possible explanation of who is sitting on the thrones. We won't know until we can one day ask Jesus. 
After seeing these thrones, John once more focuses on God's throne, where there was thunder and lightning. He notices seven lamps in front of the throne that represent the seven spirits of God, as we noted earlier, this represents the Holy Spirit. Also in front of the throne is something like a sea of glass that is clear as crystal. John was not able to fully describe what he was seeing, the beauty was beyond describing. 
Now John sees four living creatures around the throne. They were completely covered with eyes and each creature had six wings. John describes them as one like a lion, and ox, a man and an eagle. The eyes may represent that they are watchful guardians of the throne. In Ezekiel's vision, he saw creatures that were similar to these beasts, they were God's cherubim. These creatures may be other cherubim who's job it is to guard the throne. 

⁵ and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, ⁶ but each of them had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. ⁸ Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, ⁹ and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.
 ¹⁰ Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Ezekiel 1:5-10
This is also similar to the ark of the covenant where God's glory rested between the cherubim wings that were carved over the ark.
 ¹⁷ “Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. ¹⁸ And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. ¹⁹Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. ²⁰ The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. ²¹ Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you. ²² There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites. Exodus 25:17-22
The creatures worship God continually, and when they do the elders also fall down before God and offer Him their crowns and worship Him.